Automatic feeding device for grates



Nv.v22, '1932; YJ, J. RATHGEB, JR f I 1,888,697

4 AUToMATl-@LFEEDING-DEVICE FOR QRATES 'Filed Oct, 2s. 192e sheets-sheet1 Nov. 22, 1932. J. .1.A RATHGEB, JR

AUTOMATIC FEEDING DEVICE FOR GRATES 2 'sheets-sheet 2 Filed OCT.. 26,1926 Patented Nov. 22, 19832 .'osnr i. inzenden-un., orient# ironic,

' head typeand which shall be jadaptedg-to uniformly "a'nd! evenlydistribute fresh lYfu'el vrto'the flre'bedto thereby materiallyreducethe cost'of operation of stoking.

"I0 lOtherf and further objectsand advantages of: the invention will'appe ar fromI the' aecompanying descriptiomthe invention? consisting inthe novel automatic Stoker andvparts' there- 'of hereinafter Vmoreparticularly described @15 and' then specilie'd inthe: claims.`

4the accompanying drawings '-'I` have illustrated =a practicalembodiment of: the vinvention in which: j c

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the-'Stoker `-J'20 .-,ppsi'tioned infoperativefielationfto a. boiler. .,Fig. -2 is 'an enlarged 1 verticalsectional VView on ftheiine of Fig. :1t

\ -Fig. 3' is an enlarge vertical: cross-setti@ l Referring in detailftothefsevr'alY figures s0'offthe'd'ravvings:"y Y- l `The furnace ymay beof any conventional -type and as shownlincludes thefront'and rear WallslY and 2 -j oinedL to,f` 1;et`herI by the' top jlwall "3, theigratebeingindicateddiagramiiaticl 35 "ly ateav The furnace is provided With-theusual feedfdoor 5 leading into the vlire lb'o'X and immediately above4this door` tlie frt `Walll is provided'w'ith lan*eloigat'edfeed openingthe upperV andlo'werwalls of fvv'hich oare preferably curved asillustrated -i`nld`ig..

, 4,- Ethe general direction of said' l"0jlening" being-"inclined tothe`verl-,ical ias-lfshownz; l r1 1 `The stolzer inoludes'gffrontand frearside Wjrnembers 7 fandSflWhich' arej'oinedtogether'by 5 'cross struts9andianup'per memberflO; Said supports an elongatedfuelv hopper 151,-vWhichfrnay be 'secured thereto 1n any desirable manner,' theframeitself bein-g placediimmeditelyin frontof the furnace adjacent the feed"door 5iand'feedopening-IG. "50

The lowe'np'ortion ofthe bodyofaid-fuel hopper adjacent its outlet hasrounded Walls 12 forming-a spacethrou'gh VWhioha shaft 13 extends whichshaft isfjournalled in lsuitable bearings 14. Said shaft Vhas rigidly 55inounted'thereon a seriesfof "star-shaped -elements 15., the pointedportions of each-ele# `nient being located in staggered relationgto thepointed portionxon the adjacent element.

When `in assembledposition onLs'aidnshaftzGo y said elements constitutea.distributingde- Vvice adapted to'` distribute the fuelinthe`'hopper-eve'nly throughpitszoutlet opening: y.

Fuel is;con'veyed fromtheliopper,111190Y 7 4the furnace throughafsuitabl'econoluitf shown .65

as f comprising an outlet section 16 vattached to or integralWiththehopper,v conduit sec,- tions 417 and 18 fpi'votally ycoi'inedtedto Lone Y another and to the Vhopper outlet 161 and ay fdelive'ryconduit y19, pivotally comiected'tomv the section 18.' The members 16,17,218 and y-19ga`re of generalfrectangularlshape in'crosssection, eachofV the sections discharging into ltheiiext lower section'by,grav'ty.-

The delivery conduit V19t-s formed" 'iii`tl1f*75 curved Walls .235"extending YtransveIsly acrossthe same for receiving a Whee1;36. The4Wheelj is supported upon a y=`sup'porting shafti and is formed-.with aseries of radial I lvanesr4 orblades 37`forni'ed cfa-radial length@s0"such that they substantially'engagethe inner surface vof the curvedWalls-35l Thezblad'es' 37l are so spaced" circumferentially abou'tgthe Yl axis rofV rotation thereof that? one)` or.- moreroff`l .the blades37eng`ageeachof the curvedfWa-lls"5` -35 atallftimes. TheWheelthuscloses cti'V municatioii betvveen'ithe'f inlet end Yofthez-de.- livery -conduitffand the discharge outlet 38 i ,86 isinQpeiatipn.` Thedeliveryfconduit1'9"? j .ist

i v'ff-mfromthe outletfopening 38of `the conduit.

is movably supported by means of transversely arranged lugs 40 formed on'the conduit and provided with outer curvedl surfaces 39 correspondingto the surfaces'6 in the furnace wall and engaged therewith. Thedelivery conduit 19 is thereby supported for rocking 'movement about theaxis of curva` ture of the surfaces 39 and 6.

vThe delivery conduit 1'9 is rocked and the l 10 connecting conduit l 18is simultaneously moved by means of a pitman 23 pivotally connected withthe'conduit sectionV 18 and'with a crank- 22 formed 0n an intermediatedrive shaft 2O rotatably supported as by means of bearings 21. Rotationof the shaft 2O` Aoscillates the conduit section 18 so as to pre*-I fvent fuel from clogging in the conduit,the. movement of thedelivery'conduit'19'varying'the angle of inclinatiomthereof to dis-VVtribute the fuel more uniformlyy in the furnace. .Y .v

A VTheiapparatus is operatedby means of an '.'electric'motor 30 suppliedwith current from anoutside source.4 l The drive pulley-29 of 2theVmotor is 'connected by a belt. 28 to the driving-'pulley 27 secured'onthe intermediateshaft 22.l The shaft 22 is voperatively conynectedwiththe. shaft 13 by means of the belt VV26 and the supporting rpulleys.24 yand 25 and to the shaft 34by means of the belt 32 and 4pulleysr31andf33. In order to rotate the Vshaft 34 and wheel- 36! at a higher rateof speed than theV feeding shaft 13, the pulley31-is-substantiallylarger than the driven pulley,Wheel33whereasthe drivepulley 25 has the vsame Orla-smaller diameter than thepulc ley24.1...This arrangement v assures va.- faster rotation ofthe wheel 36than thewheel 15 so that the former -will at no time clog up or A-obstruct the outward passage of fuel through 'thesection 19 while thetwo shafts 13and 34 fare being rotated the speed of rotation of thevWheel 36 forcingV the fuel into the furnace at .a relatively .highvelocity, thusA further assistfing inthe VevenY distribution of the fuelin the 4fire box. JTo maintain an. operating. tension Von the belt. 32whileV conduit-'19 oscillates v aboutits axis withinV the furnace wallVI provide a pivoted. bar 41 carrying a. pulley 42 which isheld inengagement vwith said belt 32 by the action of a spring 43.

` Inthejoperation of the apparatus current isisupplied to the motor 30either automatically or Umanually,fcausing the shafts 13, 20, and 34 torotate. Rotation of .thel shaft 13 .produces a uniform discharge of fuelfrom Vl? Rotation of the shaft Y.

'the hopper into'th'e conduit leadingto the *discharge outlet 38.

34'5causes the fuel to be discharged forcibly` A:The oscillationV of thesections 17, ,18, 19 preffvents any'accumulationorpacking of fuelinthe-"conduitand alsolvaries the angle` of 2 inclination of thesection19'v ofvr the conduit and aistributesrhe au evenly ma@ furnace. i

jnectingfconduitand means for actuating 1 a horizontal, axis, u tendingfrom said fuel hopper to said deliv-i` 115 'ery/ conduit for conductingfuelVv from said gated delivery When the feeding devicesy arenot inoperation the wheel 36 operates as a closure to pre- What I claim as myinvention is: o

V1. In ank automaticstoker forfurnaces, a fuel hopper, a fuel feedingdevice associated 75 therewith for evenly and continuously feed-Y .ing alimited quantity of lfuel therefrom, a

pivotally supported delivery conduit, means for positively forcing thefuel from said delivery nconduit', thercapacity of said means 80V l'being greater than the capacity of said fuel feedingv device, .aconnecting ,conduit pivotally connected'to said delivery conduit andconstructed for conducting fuel from said hopper to said deliveryconduit, means for 85 oscillating said Vdelivery;conduit and con saifuel V`feeding device and wsaid firstl named means. r r

2. In combination with -a-furnace having an 190 openingA in. a wallthereof; providedfwith curved walls, a fuel'hopper', an Yoscillatingdelivery conduit extending' throughf said' opening andl into saidfurnace from'a point without the same, v`a `connecting conduity eil-95Atending from said hopper to said delivery -conduit fory conducting fuelfrom said hopv.per to said conduit, lug members on said delivery conduitformedgwith curved engagement surfacesV engaging saidY curved walls ofi100 said opening ,tolpermit'rocking movement of saidk delivery conduitabout: a horizontal aXis and means for oscillating said deliveryconduit.

3.-; In combmationwith a/furnace 'h avngc105 vanfopening iny awallthereof provided with curved walls, affuel hopper, an 'oscillatingdelivery conduit extending through, 'isad lopening and into saidffurnaceand having arportion positioned. Without the furnacefllo said deliveryconduit beingsupp'orted vvvithin -said opening by vmeans permittingrocking movement of said delivery conduit about a conductingi conduit`eX- hopper to saidconduitfmeans for rocking said delivery, conduit `andoperative means kin the portionjof `said 'delivery conduit without saidfurnace for` advancing Yfuel'l'.hroughf120V the same when operated andyforclosinggthe assage therethrough when notinoperation, 4. *Inlcombination withfafurnace having an 'inclinedv transversely extendingopening .ina wall thereof, said opening-being providedi 125. i Uwithtransversely curved upper andlower walls," a :fuel vhopper 4formed with'a transverse elongatedI opening,aptransversely1 elonyconduit engagingand. interfitting with YsaidY curved wallsrft'o form. agpV- -"o Y otedsupport for said delivery conduit, a transversely elongated conduitformed of sections pivotally connected together and to said deliveryconduit for conducting fuel from said hopper to said delivery conduit,means for feeding fuel from said hopper into said conduit, and means foroscillating a section of said conduit and simultaneously rocking saiddelivery conduit on its pivot whereby the delivery en d thereof willoscillate about a horizontal axis.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York this25th day of October A. D.A1926.`

JOSEPH J. RATHGEB, JR.

